New Phone for Dad - Hard of Hearing

Riczter on 01/10/2014 - 18:58

Dad wants a new phone but he's getting a little old and his hearing is getting pretty bad. He's got one of those seniors phones with the massive numbers at the moment… but I think he's getting teased at work lol, and he actually wants to upgrade to a smartphone (oh the horror). I know I'm going to regret it, but what do you have in mind?
He's not the quickest to learn new techy stuff so I was thinking an iPhone coz they are easy to use, but not willing to pay that much, unless I got a refurb iphone 5, but my next thought was a windows phone. I know some of the Lumias were quite reasonably priced.
Just looking for something cheap, doesnt need to have the greatest specs but needs to be reasonably durable. Are there any that have a good reputation for being nice and loud so Dad can hear it? Looking to spend under $300, hopefully around $200. He's got Telstra prepaid so Telstra locked is ok.

Let me know if you have any recommendations, maybe something out of Dick Smith's ebay sale tomorrow?

Mobile

Comments

  • Pigey on 01/10/2014 - 19:32
    +2

    I don't mean to be rude, but if his hearing is getting bad, that's probably something that needs to be addressed.

    Has he ever considered going for tests for a hearing aid? The hearing aids now are tiny and sit in the inner ear and are barely noticeable. His overall quality of life will be improved and they can be quite heavily subsidised by the government.

  • Riczter on 01/10/2014 - 19:45

    Yeah he's got a set of hearing aids, it sits behind the ear but he doesn't wear it all the time because of how much it bothers him, its always squealing. They cost him a tonne of money i think it was like $6000 but i may be wrong..

    Has the market changed that much in the past 10 years? Are the ones that sit in the inner ear cheaper or more reliable or less squealy? Going off topic but any info on this would also be great :)

    • Colombian on 01/10/2014 - 20:04

      I'm hearing impaired. The ones that sit in the inner ear could be useful depending on the grade of hearing loss your father has. I use BTE (Behind the ear) as my loss is quite severe so that tiny hearing aids are not powerful enough for my loss.

      As for mobile phones, I use a normal smartphone (got Moto G at the moment). In my case I need to position the mobile speaker close to my hearing aid's microphone in order to hear better.

    • Pigey on 01/10/2014 - 20:05
      +1

      Market has changed just a bit :P

      https://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ios/hearing-aids/

      Now you can pair your hearing aid to your iPhone and listen to music/take calls directly from it.

      I was actually just thinking of the ones you can barely see.
      I think they've improved a lot in the past few years, but I'm no expert on this.

      • Riczter on 01/10/2014 - 20:45

        Oh wow that's really cool!
        What kind of prices are they these day? Are they still wildly expensive?
        <EDIT:> Reading some articles and forums it looks like they are still pretty expensive :(

        • mgrogan on 02/10/2014 - 09:15

          I have a +5 year, in-ear phonak hearing aids, back then > $6000.
          I can wear a phonak "pendant" Compilot, around my neck,
          http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/products/wireless-accessori…
          which I paired with my old smartphone (back when I purchased the hearing aids), as well as my 2+ year HTC Velocity Vivid.
          Compilot charge lasts > 1 day.

          Confession, I do not use the phonak Compilot, perhaps as much as I should :( but then I am not a great mobile user, as I text more than I use calls.

          Check out what your father purchased, you might be able to get an equivalent bluetooth device.

          :)

          Margaret

  • scrimshaw on 01/10/2014 - 20:27
    +3

    The Motorola X is compatible with hearing aids, but according to Hearing.com.au website the best smartphones for hearing impaired are

    HTC One

    This is a top-rated smartphone for the hearing impaired, widely praised by a range of reviewers for call quality and features. It’s also been given great marks for its lack of voice distortion and natural tone.

    Nokia Lumia 1020
    Nokia’s Lumia 1020 has an impressive list of features, though it does get mixed reviews for call clarity. A standout is the 41 megapixel camera for ultra-high resolution pics.

    LG E988 Optimus G Pro LTE
    This smartphone is described as a “phablet” (phone/tablet) due to its massive 5.5-inch screen. Rates highly for call and voice quality.

    iPhone 5
    The iPhone 5 also has an M3 and T4 rating—the iconic brand still going strong.

    There are also other phones with M3 and T3 ratings, this includes the Galaxy S5/s4/s3, Motorola Moto G and a crapton of the more recent Sony Xperia Z mobiles.

    • Riczter on 01/10/2014 - 20:49

      Cool thanks for the list :) These all sounds like expensive phones though. I'll have to check how much they are, im out of touch with the smartphone market. Any recommendation on a budget phone that is still good for hearing impaired or if any of these are in my price range?

      • scrimshaw on 01/10/2014 - 21:13
        +1

        Is a Moto X not in your price range?

        • Riczter on 01/10/2014 - 21:19

          It's pretty close, I'll have to add it to my list of "Things I'm waiting to appear on ozbargain for a really good price"…
          Its a long list ;)

  • JoyVee on 01/10/2014 - 22:53

    My husband has hearing aids, Bayley and Saunders, Melbourne based incorporating some of cochlear technology. Very helpful staff. Think they will take them back and refund money if not satisfied.

    He wears them all the time when awake, cost about 3.5K AUD.

    he finds it better to put speaker phone on when using either his mobile or VOIP phone as there is less interference with his hearing aid frequency. . Try your phone with your dad and see if the speaker function will help. Background noise is a killer in restaurant, cutlery can be noisy notto mention pope with shrill voices who have had a little wine and as for babies and pre schoolers…

  • OldBugger on 01/10/2014 - 23:35

    Not sure what hearing aids he wears but I've used Digital Hearing Care in the UK for my Dad for advice and to purchase top of the range HAs. They came out over half the price to any audiologist's quote here. He got ones that connects wirelessly to the TV, telephone and mobile.

    A bit tacky video but this describes how today's HAs can connect to devices.

    But even if you aren't after new HAs, give Paul (audiologist) a buzz at Digital Hearing describing what you are after and he may have some suggestions. A top bloke who knows his stuff well and won't try to push a sale unlike some of the likes in Oz.

    By the way, you don't need an iPhone, just mobile with bluetooth. Here are some ideas from a thread on WP.

  • Colombian on 02/10/2014 - 19:02

    Just found the list of Motorola phones that support hearing aids: http://responsibility.motorola.com/index.php/consumers/acces…

    Moto G is in the list. I checked the option to activate hearing aid compatibility and is there but I have not tested it.

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